Katter's man in Canberra (and a mascot called Bruce)

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿He is a music composing, pro-choice, Senate candidate for Bob Katter's Australia Party in the ACT, and, yes, Steven Bailey really is a man of contradictions.

Before heading off into the bush with his faithful dog by his side to score an opera based on the writings of Moliere, Bailey came into the 666 ABC studio to talk to Genevieve Jacobs on Mornings.

With labrador mix Bruce - the female dog who is "testing the hetero-normative names of dogland" - in tow, Bailey spoke about his decision to join the hustings.

"Art and composition and theatre have never been abstract from the contest of ideas. In fact, inherent in art is the contest of ideas, and inherent in politics should be the contest of ideas, so for me they're not really separate entities."

With a background more suited to left wing politics, Bailey explained why he has chosen to run for a party that has hit the news for its conservatism, including its opposition to gay marriage, describing the KAP as: "a very broad church and I really do believe that. I think that the party has a lot of scope and I think it's going to take some time for that scope to be realised but I think that it is possible."

As for his stance on homophobia, Bailey promotes tolerance. "What is anyone's stance on someone's sexual orientation? I don't have a stance, I just accept it."

With the election six months away, though, first things first: there's that opera to score in the inspirational countryside around Bombala. "I'll shoot a few rabbits for Bruce but I'll eat baked beans. It's good to be reminded of where your food comes from. If the rabbits have spotty livers they're no good to eat."